glory
Americannoun
-
glories
plural
-
very great praise, honor, or distinction bestowed by common consent; renown.
to win glory on the field of battle.
-
something that is a source of honor, fame, or admiration; a distinguished ornament or an object of pride.
a sonnet that is one of the glories of English poetry.
-
adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving.
Give glory to God.
-
resplendent beauty or magnificence.
the glory of autumn.
- Synonyms:
- effulgence, refulgence, brilliance
-
a state of great splendor, magnificence, or prosperity.
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a state of absolute happiness, gratification, contentment, etc..
She was in her glory when her horse won the Derby.
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the splendor and bliss of heaven; heaven.
-
a ring, circle, or surrounding radiance of light represented about the head or the whole figure of a sacred person, as Christ or a saint; a halo, nimbus, or aureole.
verb (used without object)
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glories,
present (3rd person singular)
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gloried,
past participle, past
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glorying
present participle
-
to exult with triumph; rejoice proudly (usually followed byin ).
Their father gloried in their success.
-
Obsolete. to boast.
interjection
idioms
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glory days / years, the time of greatest achievement, popularity, success, or the like.
the glory days of radio.
-
go to glory, to die. Also go to one's glory.
noun
-
exaltation, praise, or honour, as that accorded by general consent
the glory for the exploit went to the captain
-
something that brings or is worthy of praise (esp in the phrase crowning glory )
-
thanksgiving, adoration, or worship
glory be to God
-
pomp; splendour
the glory of the king's reign
-
radiant beauty; resplendence
the glory of the sunset
-
the beauty and bliss of heaven
-
a state of extreme happiness or prosperity
verb
-
to triumph or exult
-
obsolete (intr) to brag
interjection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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glorysimple
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gloriessimple
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have gloriedperfect
-
has gloriedperfect
-
am gloryingprogressive
-
are gloryingprogressive
-
is gloryingprogressive
-
have been gloryingperfect progressive
-
has been gloryingperfect progressive
Past
-
gloriedsimple
-
had gloriedperfect
-
was gloryingprogressive
-
were gloryingprogressive
-
had been gloryingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of glory
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French glorie, from Latin glōria
Explanation
Glory is brilliant, radiant beauty. You might admire a princess in all her glory, since she seems almost too gorgeous to be real. Glory is also a term that is sometimes used in a religious way. It means the glow or light that appears around the head of a holy person or saint, like a halo. Another use of glory is a state of high honor gained from great achievements. If you have heard the expression "you're in your glory," it means that you are very happy and proud — you must have reached one of your big goals.
Vocabulary lists containing glory
Beowulf vocabulary
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The Star Spangled Banner
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"Revolution 2.0," Vocabulary from the memoir
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Some find success sweet but fleeting, others spend years building to the pinnacle, and then there are those whose lasting glory evolves into a dynasty.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
James, along with Sawitskas and his pals, want the carousel to be restored to its original glory, a magnificent, gleaming merry-go-round that inspired Disney to dream.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
The ideal of many ideologies in our time has, frankly, become a world of perfect safety, devoid of risk or failure, with neither the glory of victory nor the shame of defeat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Alexander’s relentless, scarcely human drive is, in any case, unimaginable without Homer’s moral distinction between pleasure and often terrible glory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
She believed that all creatures—including butterflies and moths—reflected God’s glory and the infinite variety of his creation.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
“Elsinore” captures that journey in all of its glories and taxing challenges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
The team studied morning glories as part of a broader effort to understand how human-caused global change is shaping evolution.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
Sometimes they featured celebrities recounting past glories or promoting their newest releases.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
“Lonely in the Future,” which in part explains why the Strokes have no wish to replicate past glories, is the most direct song on the record.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Whatever he was, he looked as though he knew the glories of money and power.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
I also gloried in writing high school sports stories for 10 cents an inch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2024
"I think the critics are looking backwards to a gloried past, and fail to see the strategic picture vis a vis China and technology in a really disappointing way," he says.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2023
I had taken off my head covering because of the heat and then stood in the open and gloried in the cool rain as it beaded on my head.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 18, 2022
Over the last few years, the teams of the Premier League — alongside a cadre of continental superclubs — have gloried in recruiting as many of the best players on the planet as possible.
From New York Times ● Aug. 7, 2021
I gloried in the recklessness it took to reach that velocity.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
It is doing so with an exclamation point, glorying in the repertory system enabled by its enormous budget and backstage forces, by which it can, astonishingly, present four titles in a single weekend.
From New York Times ● Jan. 10, 2022
She said he "wasn't provided with the assistance he required" in the community, adding the way he "vacillates" when talking to police make it difficult to indicate "wilful glorying" over the death.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2021
Ed. note: I will be on vacation next week, glorying in the delights of the 35th state so we will have to leave the mailbag aside for a while.
From Fox News ● Jul. 26, 2019
But this wasn’t a moment of triumphalism, or of glorying in the moment.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 17, 2018
Theresa gave an encore; the family leaned over the rail like operagoers, glorying in the sound.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
